Well, many of you folks whom I call friends got a glimpse of my command (urk!) performance in Godspell last year. The production was put on by the great folks of The Stage Hands, our local community theater company here in little ol' King City (pop. ~11,000.)

Well, being the control freak plus theater nut that I am, when the opportunity came around I took the big leap. I'm directing our next production this summer, MAME.

Not to be confused with the stupid computer arcade simulator that dominates the stupid search results when you're trying to find a pic for your stupid blogpost...

Anyway, I have never seen the movie, and don't plan to, at least until after the production closes. I had never listened to the music, never seen any production, and only knew that it was Angela Lansbury's signature role.

One of the other Stage Hands members had a file copy of the script that she gave to me to read to decide if I wanted to direct.

That reading was a real revelation. Some of you, my friends, know that my personal philosophy includes the idea that life is an adventure, and there is nothing but to live it all the way.

That is exactly what Mame is about! So I downloaded the Original Broadway Cast recording from iTunes, which includes Lansbury and the inimitable Bea Arthur. The music was by Jerry Herman, of Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles fame. It is catchy, lush, standard mid-century Broadway fare that really gets under the skin. A delight all around.

So we're heavy into preproduction right now, designing, budgeting, prepping for auditions at the end of April.

Watch this space for updates, photos, and whatever else I can kluge together!